Insignia

Insignia. 2ml sample reviewed. One word: Aristocratic. Christopher Chong has elevated his vision with Insignia. Its supremely unique, refined yet..and this is an important component to true luxury...comfortable to wear. It opens aeromatically green with the whiskey accord and milky fig. The bitter orange sits to the side of the whiskey. The interesting thing about Insignia is its bright, light, finesse yet its holding its own, not to be so light it fades away or waters down. This will interest even the most hardened perfumista. I feel this leans more masculine due to the leather, however ladies that pull off Bandit, Cabochard type scents could easily pull this off as well. The spicy green geranium classically supports the rose. Leather, (not heavy) sandalwood and rooty aeromatic vetiver support. Is this the best release in '22 like Miguel Matos crowned in his year end review? I think it is or top 3. Im glad Mr. Chong is back in the fragrance world. Bravo

I can't describe this as anything other than amazing. The fig and whiskey sweetness are blended well and play into the heart without ever being overbearing, the heart is classy and herbal, almost like a high end tea, and the base is wonderfully pleasant and creamy in its woodiness. I love the smell, but I wish it was more affordable, maybe at the £160 range (with respect to Thameen being niche and all that). Luckily, I picked it up for 70% off at the Thameen boutique in Harrods, London, so I can enjoy this with no guilt.

I love the opening, it's like a luxury soap that's hard to describe. It then converts into an interesting fruity and powdery note, that somehow manages to lean slightly masculine, although I think a woman can wear this too. It reminds me a little of God of fire, but toned down, not as tropical and with a powdery note (I dont get the booze personally). It is mostly a fresh, slightly tart, and semi powdery fragrance. Very interesting, I dig it.

It smells very similar to abyssae 33, but with a rum note and Chords-style leather underneath. It is, however, a far superior perfume to A33, which annoys me with it's grating harshness. This one has no harshness and doesn't outstay its welcome nor scream and shout. This is a lovely scent, and the bay note is also very charming. Super classy.

Winningly naturalistic, old school and aristocratic. Where other Thameens feel somewhat Middle Eastern, this has a refined British feel, like the best of Penhaligon’s. The heart is herbal and aromatic. The top, sweet citrus and slightly boozy. The base a fine, creamy sandalwood and grassy vetiver. High level stuff.

I love it ! Gorgeous, spectacular super-unique for a classy, elegant gentleman. Can’t get enough of it.

Super interesting fragrance. Nothing I’ve come across before and truly a signature.

Really nice and refined. It has a mainly woody base, but the spices laid over it work well in balance with it, they neither overpower or are buried by the woody backbone, they work well together. Around that it a mild creaminess, must be the fig and "suede". Very good, it reminds me of Amouage Opus VI but a lttle cleaner and smoother than that. Maybe with a bit of a scent memory of Ormonde Jayne Man kicking in too. I could see this being a signature scent for some people (probably a man 30+), I think it is just daring enough to be different than most mens fragrances in the mainstream but not so daring that it would scare people away who are not used to niche.

Sophisticated but somewhat familiar woody aromatic with a fresh boozy vibe. The scent opens with notes of bitter orange, whiskey and slight fig. The heart has rose, geranium and bay leaf. The perfume settles on a powdery vetiver bed with hints of sandalwood and suede. A scent that evokes an elegant night out at the theater or opera. The unisex scent has moderate sillage and good longevity and seems a bit overpriced for what it offers. Enjoy!

Oohh this is a nice one from Thameen. On my cool skin this is very spicy aromatic with a strong base of creamy sandalwood. Just like all of Thameen fragrances, Insignia is grown up, refined, and restrained. Nothing vulgar or obnoxious. Like other Thameen fragrances, it is confidently muted. In my opinion, this is unisex, but ladies who prefer girly fruity scents will find this too masculine because of aromatic notes.

Below reviews have already done a good job describing the composition, so I won’t go into detail. I knew I would like this. It’s surprisingly fresh, not really a heavy boozy-woody fragrance as I expected, way fresher and quite easy-going. We never really talk about ’medium-weight’, but I think it is. Not too light, not too heavy. It’s nice, even very nice. My favourite from Thameen this far (along with The Hope , which was also very nice, but too oudy in the end, too oriental). As someone already pointed out, Insignia might appeal more to a western preference. Quality is nice. Long-lasting. As you would expect. No more, no less. It’s very nice, but it doesn’t really evoke any deeper emotion in me. Quite masculine for being a woody-fig fragrance. There is no poetry or melancholy here. The composition is just a bit too much. The whisky and the fig makes an interesting combination. As friends. Not lovers. Not enough clarity. Very nice, but not brilliant.

Basil, lemongrass, ginger, verbena soap, hints of vetiver and bergamot. An intensely fresh, emerald green-hued perfume. Develops over time with notes of olibanum smoke and cardamom. If you can handle the cleaning-product citrus in the opening it only gets better.

Fizzy fruity opening really nice then transitions to spicy, slightly boozy and woody.... very smooth. Not a beast by any means but decent longevity on skin. One of the better scents I've tried from thameen

First thing I blurted out when I sampled this was “this is fresh spicy... ohhhh I like it” and that is exactly how I want my scents sometimes. Saving up to get this 😁